As we look ahead to 2026, one theme dominates every strategic conversation in hospitality: artificial intelligence. However, the most meaningful changes will not come from abstract discussions about “AI,” but from very specific shifts in how demand is generated, decisions are made, and guest interactions are delivered.

Based on our recent conversation with Juanjo Rodriguez of The Hotels Network, three predictions stand out as particularly relevant for hotel general managers and revenue leaders.

Here is the full interview and we have summarised some of the key points below.

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1. AI Chatbots Will Become a New Demand Channel

For the first time, AI chat platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar tools are poised to become material drivers of hotel demand. These platforms are evolving into upper-funnel discovery tools, much like Google search did 25 years ago or smartphones did with mobile booking.

Whenever a technology aggregates consumer attention at scale, hotels must be present. Just as hotels had to adapt to Google, mobile, and OTAs, they will increasingly need visibility within AI-powered conversational platforms. This does not mean a single dominant winner will emerge. Instead, AI models are rapidly becoming commodities, shifting competitive advantage away from the technology itself and toward user experience, branding, and distribution.

From a hotel perspective, the implication is clear: AI will influence how guests discover, evaluate, and shortlist hotels long before they ever reach a booking engine. Revenue teams should view this as an emerging acquisition channel rather than a direct replacement for existing ones.

2. Decision Automation Will Replace Dashboard Overload

Most hotels today suffer from an abundance of dashboards and a shortage of time. Revenue, marketing, distribution, and operations teams are expected to monitor countless data points and make hundreds of small decisions each week. This model does not scale.

The next phase of revenue technology will focus less on presenting data and more on acting on it automatically. If the data clearly points to a decision – adjusting pricing rules, reallocating inventory, triggering a campaign – there is little value in requiring manual intervention every time.

Automation does not remove control; it shifts human effort to higher-value work. Machines excel at consistency, speed, and continuous learning, while humans add value through judgment, strategy, and creativity. For hotel leaders, success will increasingly depend on defining the right guardrails and trusting systems to execute within them.

3. Differentiation Will Move From Price to Story and Experience

Hospitality is one of the most price-transparent industries in the world. Guests can compare dozens of hotels across multiple channels in minutes. As pricing becomes more optimized and standardized, it will deliver diminishing competitive advantage.

The next battleground is content and experience. Hotels that clearly articulate why they are worth the price – through storytelling, personalization, and pre-arrival engagement – will outperform those that compete primarily on rate. This shift particularly benefits properties that invest in experience design, service culture, and emotional differentiation.

At the same time, AI-driven voice assistants will transform guest communication. Within a few years, most routine calls will be handled by intelligent voice agents, improving response times for guests and freeing staff to focus on on-property experience.

Looking Ahead

Taken together, these trends point to a future where technology handles complexity and repetition, while hoteliers focus on creating memorable experiences and strategic advantage. AI will not replace hospitality – it will redefine where human effort matters most.